Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I've been messing around with some of the recipes from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking trying to get a sandwich bread similar to some we've liked at the store & in restuarants. Today I think I may actually be on to something...I started by halving the recipe for Buttermilk Bread. I replaced the buttermilk with non-fat plain yogurt (because I was out of buttermilk). Then I replaced 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Finally, I threw in 1/4 cup of roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds & a good handful of oatmeal. All of this meant I only needed about 2 & 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour to get the right texture dough.What we got was a crusty loaf with a great crumb & a nutty flavor. The sunflower seeds was really the flavor that stood out the most, while the sesame seeds & oatmeal were kind of lost. I think next time I'll toast the sesame seeds instead or perhaps add some chopped hazelnuts!

Everyone has been talking about this book so apparently I need to get with it and buy the book!! I know this is crazy, but we prefer homemade bread so I make some every week. I'll have to try this one!!

I bought the book on Amazon yesterday and made 3 loaves of the bread yesterday as well from their basic recipe. I can't wait to get the book and try this variation. I can't recommend this method highly enough.